Ingredients
Scale
For the filling:
- 8 oz. dates, chopped
- 1/4 cup coffee, brewed double strength
- 1/4 cup kahlua
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons natural peanut butter
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons Nutella
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 3 Tablespoons sesame seeds
- 2 Tablespoons chia seeds
- 1/4 cup flaxmeal
For the oatmeal crumble mixture:
- 1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup butter, melted
- 1 egg white
For the top:
- a little coarse sea salt
- About 1/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans
Instructions
- Soak the dates in the coffee and Kahlua for 15 minutes or longer, to soften them up. I think I left them in for about an hour, just to be safe. Stir a few times during the soaking to make sure all the dates get a good soak in the coffee bath.
- Then put the date mixture along with the rest of the filling ingredients in a food processor or handi chopper and blend until it forms a nice gooey paste.
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the oats, flour, brown sugar, baking soda and salt till they are all well mixed up. Drizzle on the melted butter and mix thoroughly. To make a really good crumble, use your hands to make sure the butter gets mixed up with the oat mixture. Add the egg white and mix that in as well.
- Spray a 9×9 inch square pan with cooking spray, pour about 2/3 of the oat crumble mixture in and press down with your hands to make a good “crust” on the bottom.
- Carefully spoon on small spoonfuls of the date mixture and coax it to stick together and cover the entire pan. It’s a little tricky because the oat mixture will want to stick to the gooey dates, but it’s doable.
- Top with the rest of the oat crumble mixture, sprinkle with about 1/2 teaspoon of coarse sea salt, then sprinkle with pecans.
- Bake at 350 for about 25 – 30 minutes or until the date bars are nicely golden brown.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar